Police escort for the funeral procession for Bruce Rossmeyer, the Harley-Davidson mogul who died Thursday in a Wyoming motorcycle crash, was held at Christ Presbyterian Church in Ormond Beach, on Tuesday, August 4, 2009. (RICARDO RAMIREZ BUXEDA, ORLANDO SENTINEL / August 4, 2009)

Source: sun-sentinel.com

ORMOND BEACH - More than a thousand people attended services this morning to remember the life of Bruce Rossmeyer, the Harley-Davidson dealership mogul who died last week in a motorcycle accident.

Rossmeyer, 66, amassed a chain of 15 Harley-Davidson dealerships and stores and he was lauded Tuesday for his entrepreneurial leadership and his strong business sense.

But he was remembered foremost as a family man, devoted to his wife, five children, and nine grandchildren. His children and the eldest granddaughter gave touching speeches about Rossmeyer's generous heart and love for life.

Mourners at the Christ Presbyterian Church in Ormond Beach arrived wearing somber black dresses and suits, but some arrived in biker gear, sporting Destination Daytona shirts and riding on their motorcycles.

The procession left the church, led by a police escort of a few dozen motorcycles, a Harley hearse trailer, the family in white limousines, and the black Destination Daytona company truck, followed by a parade of several dozen motorcycles.

Before the funeral, a chain-reaction accident involving several police officers was reported on North Halifax Avenue in Ormond Beach. The motorcycle officers from different east Volusia agencies were going to escort members of the Rossmeyer family to the chuch when there was a chain reaction and six motorcycles went down. There were two officers with minor injuries.

Rossmeyer, considered the world's largest Harley-Davidson dealer, died Thursday in a Wyoming motorcycle crash. The 66-year-old Ormond Beach man had an empire of 15 Harley-Davidson dealerships and stores, including the world's largest at Destination Daytona, just off Interstate 95.

Source: sun-sentinel.com